The Bank of Canada Museum has introduced “You Are the Economy,” a comprehensive suite of free lesson plans on economic and financial literacy for Grade 7–12 students. Available in both official languages, this teaching resource addresses a critical need in current educational materials by offering engaging, relatable and gamified activities that align with the latest Canadian curricula. This resource demystifies economics and personal finances, making complex subjects more accessible for both students and educators by incorporating creative teaching techniques such as comic strips, card games, data visualization tools, and infographics. Developed with Bank of Canada economists, external subject matter experts and educators, the resource supports students’ development of critical thinking, decision-making, data literacy, and money management skills. The lessons are designed to support multiple subject areas—from social science and geography to business and economics.
Each lesson contains detailed plans, activities, worksheets, and comprehensive answer keys.
Thinking Like an Economist introduces foundational economic concepts and critical thinking by engaging students’ interest with comic strips.
Building Budgets shares valuable financial saving and spending tips while challenging students to balance a household budget.
Connecting Canadian Industries explores different industries in the Canadian economy and shows students through games how they are interconnected and evolving.
Decoding Canadian Economic Data interprets Canadian economic charts and graphs to develop students’ data literacy skills.
Tracing Canada’s Place in the World works with a data visualization tool to help students understand Canada’s place in the global economy and how it has evolved.
Investing Wisely sees how spending and earning connects us all to the global economy by guiding students to make investment decisions based on what’s important to them.
Building Budgets shares valuable financial saving and spending tips while challenging students to balance a household budget.
Connecting Canadian Industries explores different industries in the Canadian economy and shows students through games how they are interconnected and evolving.
Decoding Canadian Economic Data interprets Canadian economic charts and graphs to develop students’ data literacy skills.
Tracing Canada’s Place in the World works with a data visualization tool to help students understand Canada’s place in the global economy and how it has evolved.
Investing Wisely sees how spending and earning connects us all to the global economy by guiding students to make investment decisions based on what’s important to them.
The lessons are available at www.bankofcanadamuseum.ca/you-are-the-economy/